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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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Olympus mft lens 9-18mm converted to mf
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:25 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:25 am
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I have the Olympus mft lens 9-18mm f4-5.6. This lens can no longer be used, I got the error message: check the status of the lens. Because this lens has already been used a lot, I think repair is too expensive.

My question: can this lens (easily) be converted to an MF lens? Possibly without communication with the camera so that the aperture remains fully open.


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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:57 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:57 am
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All native MFT lenses are focus-by-wire.
That means that focusing ring controls AF motor for the lens to focus "manually", so you won't be able to focus without communication with the camera.


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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:12 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:12 am
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Thanks for your perfect answer!


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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:46 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:46 pm
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Before giving up try simply cleaning the electrical contacts between camera & lens. Sometimes this is the only repair required!

Alex TG wrote:
All native MFT lenses are focus-by-wire.
That means that focusing ring controls AF motor for the lens to focus "manually", so you won't be able to focus without communication with the camera.


I've got quite a few Native MFT lenses that are mechanical focus only, so not all focus by wire, but all the AF lenses probably are.

It should be POSSIBLE to access the wires driving the focus motor , re-route these outside the lens & add an external powered focus control. This will probably need a stepper motor controller rather than a simple DC voltage so unlikely to be practical.

If the lens is current around infinity focus it should be practical to rig a block focusing mount via a helicoid. There current bayonet mount would need to be removed & the lens recessed into a helicoid so that the elements are in the normal position when the helicoid is at its shortest. Lengthening the helicoid will them bring closer objects into focus. With such a short focal length lens only a very shallow helicoid would be needed. If a long helicoid is used (giving increased focusing range) the lenses zoom control might be obscured - a work around for this is no doubt possible but it might make using the lens too much of a pain to be worth all the effort. I think I'd simply use a 10-17mm type provided they are available wide enough to recess the lens.

This block focusing solution will loose any aberration corrections built into the lenses normal internal focusing system so IQ might not be quite as good.


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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 1:15 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 1:15 pm
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DConvert wrote:

I've got quite a few Native MFT lenses that are mechanical focus only, so not all focus by wire, but all the AF lenses probably are.

OK, fair enough, I should have been more specific - "all Panasonic and Olympus MFT lenses"


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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 5:53 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 5:53 pm
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Alex TG wrote:
DConvert wrote:

I've got quite a few Native MFT lenses that are mechanical focus only, so not all focus by wire, but all the AF lenses probably are.

OK, fair enough, I should have been more specific - "all Panasonic and Olympus MFT lenses"

Even that isn't right, look at the Olympus body cap lenses, where focus is via a little lever. They make up 2/3 of my native manual MFT lenses.


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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:03 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:03 pm
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DConvert, okay Mr. Green
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